New Zealand claim series over West Indies in wet decider

An opening batting blitz and timely rain gave New Zealand a nine-run victory in the winner-takes-all final one-day international against the West Indies here Tuesday.

The stars of the game were West Indies captain Chris Gayle, who made 135, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul with 94, but the match and the series were decided by the weather and the Duckworth-Lewis system.

New Zealand, chasing a target of 294, were behind on the calculations as the first drops of rain fell.

But they called an immediate power-play, during which Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot belted 21 runs in two overs before being forced from the field in the 35th over.

New Zealand were then 211 for five, ahead of the required rate by nine runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

The win gave New Zealand the ODI series 2-1 and snapped the tour deadlock. Both Tests were drawn and the two Twenty20 games resulted in a win apiece.

Captain Daniel Vettori foresaw that the rain could play a significant role when he won the toss, putting the West Indies into bat so he could keep an eye on the run target should rain intervene.

Gayle and Chanderpaul, the West Indies' two most reliable batsmen, set about building a formidable target batting in ideal conditions.

They put on 170 in 26 overs for the third wicket, with Gayle blasting his 19th ODI century and the New Zealand bowlers were powerless to stop the onslaught.

But once the breakthrough came, there was little backbone left in the West Indies line-up and New Zealand took satisfaction in keeping the tourists below the psychological 300-run mark.

In reply, the home side started at whirlwind pace with Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum cracking 59 for the first wicket in under six overs.

Ryder fell first for 21 off 23 deliveries and McCullum reached 41 from 28 balls before he went in the 11th over, leaving New Zealand 96 for two.

Martin Guptill, who made a century on debut in the fourth ODI in Auckland on Saturday, kept New Zealand ahead of the run rate with 43 from 39 balls.

But when he was caught behind off Kieron Pollard with New Zealand at 138 for three, the tempo began to slow.

At 175 for three in the 29th over, and with the weather closing in, Daniel Flynn went for 21 and Neil Broom was out first ball. Under the Duckworth-Lewis calculations, New Zealand slumped from a 21-run advantage to a seven-run deficit in two balls.

Ross Taylor, who finished unbeaten on 48, and Grant Elliot, who was not out 14, regained the advantage in a batting power play, taking 15 off one over by Lionel Baker and six off Daren Powell before the game was stopped.

Powell, who was sitting on a hat-trick with the wickets of Flynn and Broom, finished with three for 66.

New Zealand's most successful bowler was Mark Gillespie, who took four for 58.

But the chief contributor to the New Zealand bowling effort was Kyle Mills, who captured the key wicket of man-of-the-match Gayle, caught on the boundary by Taylor.

His dismissal left the West Indies at 243 for three and they lost six further wickets for 60 runs in the final seven overs.